Pages tagged "Primaries and voter choice"

In addition to forcing different groups of voters to compete for the scarce representation they are afforded by this system, the way we elect Congress is also plagued by issues such as plurality winners, turnout gaps, vote-splitting, single-party dominance, and incumbency advantages. All of these were on display in the District 13 primary, and all of these contribute to making Congress so dysfunctional.

Every election cycle one of the most notable types of results is an incumbent candidate losing their seat, especially when that candidate loses in a primary. Of course, it doesn’t happen very often in our congressional primaries.

On Tuesday, May 24th, voters across the state of Texas were asked to return to the polls for several runoff elections. Turnout was dismal with less than 4 percent and of registered voters participating--a 20.3 percent drop from the primary election that was held on March 1st. Texas should adopt ranked choice voting for primary elections to replace costly, low-turnout runoffs like the one held Tuesday.

As of May 3rd, 2016, more than 75% states have held either presidential primaries or caucuses. FairVote has compiled the number of votes casts in state primaries for each candidate to this point, as well as the reported number of votes in state caucuses--though caucus numbers are less reliable than primary elections. Here is summary analysis of voter state presidential primary election turnout to this point in the nomination process.

With just 82 days remaining until the Republican Convention, Ted Cruz and John Kasich have publicly discussed their plan to launch a coordinated opposition effort to Donald Trump in upcoming state primaries. The idea is to consolidate Cruz and Kasich supporters behind the most competitive alternative to Trump in each of the remaining states, rather than splitting the anti-Trump vote between the two candidates.

For two decades, the Commission on Presidential Debates has excluded every candidate from the general election presidential and vice-presidential debates but two: the nominees of the Republican and Democratic Parties. On April 13th, FairVote filed an amicus brief in support of Level the Playing Field and other plaintiffs to change this exclusionary rule and help open the debates to more competition.

The Maryland General Assembly (Maryland’s state legislature) has begun its 2016 legislative session. In Montgomery County (Maryland’s most populous county and home to FairVote) Delegates to the General Assembly will consider a local bill that represents an important step forward in advancing ranked choice voting (RCV) for County elections.